100-year-old woman rescued from New Zealand earthquake, but her son is killed

Rescue teams in New Zealand pulled a 100-year-old woman and her daughter-in-law from the rubble of a homestead which collapsed during a severe earthquake, but her son was one of two confirmed fatalities in the nationwide disaster.

As hundreds of powerful aftershocks triggered landslides and flooding across the country, authorities began airlifting residents and tourists from some of the worst-hit areas on the South Island.

In the town of Kaikoura, 100-year-old Margaret Edgar was trapped under rubble for hours in the collapsed farmhouse where she has lived since 1952.

A lake caused by the earthquake slip forms on the Conway River near KaikouraCredit:
AP

Christopher Henry, a doctor at the local hospital, said the historic homestead had "collapsed like a stack of cards".

Rescue teams eventually reached Ms Edgar and her daughter-in-law Pam, but her son Louis was killed.

A relative told The New Zealand Herald that the two rescued women had “lost everything”.

After flying over the town and the surrounding area, John Key, New Zealand’s prime minister, expressed shock at the “utter devastation” and estimated the damage could cost billions of dollars.

Watch | New Zealand PM: Quake damage will cost billions

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Around the region, cars were left on their sides, houses were in ruins, and roads had folded or were covered in dirt and rubble.

Three cows were filmed by a television helicopter, stranded on a small patch of grass after landslides collapsed the paddock around them.

Mr Key said the landslips were “just horrendous”, adding: "You've got to believe it's in the billions of dollars to resolve."

The 7.8 magnitude was one of the most powerful to ever hit the quake-prone country and sparked tsunami warnings along the east coast.

Watch | Cows left stranded on island in New Zealand earthquake

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Buildings were damaged and roads torn apart across the country, including in Wellington, the capital.

The quake, which struck shortly after midnight at a depth of about nine miles, occurred near the small town of Hanmer Springs, about 80 miles north of Christchurch, where 185 people died in an earthquake in 2011.

In Kaikoura, a popular whale-watching destination, about 1,000 tourists were left stranded in campgrounds and were due to be airlifted to safety.

Stranded tourists gather at a park in Kaikoura Credit:
AP

“Our immediate priority is ensuring delivery of clean water, food and other essentials to the residents of Kaikoura and the estimated 1,000 tourists in the town," said Gerry Brownlee, the civil defence minister.

A woman was reportedly killed in a house in the alpine village of Mt Lyford, north of Christchurch. Authorities said at least six people were in hospital with serious injuries.